The Sunfish Family 33 



absence of crawfish, which, like the other species, 

 it prefers. 



In the Northern^ states it hibernates, and 

 reaches a maximum weight of six or eight 

 pounds, while in the Gulf states, where it is ac- 

 tive the year round, it is taken weighing twenty 

 pounds or more. In Florida I have taken it on 

 the fly up to fourteen pounds, and up to twenty 

 pounds with natural bait. In waters where it 

 coexists with the small-mouth bass there is no 

 difference in their excellence as food-fish. I have 

 often eaten the large-mouth bass from the clear- 

 water lakes of Utah and Washington, that, with 

 the single exception of the whitefish of Lake 

 Superior, were the best of all fresh-water fishes. 

 And I can truly say the same of those from some 

 of the large rivers of Florida, notably the St. 

 Lucie, St. Sebastian, and New rivers. 



It prefers to spawn on gravel or sand, but if 

 such situations are lacking, it makes its nest on a 

 clay or mud bottom, or on the roots of water- 

 plants; or in ponds of very deep water without 

 shallow shores, it will spawn on the top of masses 

 of weeds, in order to get near enough to sunlight. 

 In other respects its breeding habits are similar 

 to its cousin the small-mouth, the time of incuba- 



